You became an emperor by letting me AFK.

Chapter 93 Xia He's First Micro-Management Skills (6K)

"How arrogant!"

Deng Kaixuan's stern shout made the barbarian prisoners shrink back in fear, showing them considerable apprehension towards the general.

He was a renowned veteran general, closely associated with the military expansion of the Great Qian Dynasty over the past few decades. He was an offensive commander, full of murderous intent.

One look from him silenced the group.

Whoosh!

On the other side, the sound of water being poured could be heard as Imperial Guards carried buckets of water to fight the fire. Villagers from neighboring villages were also busy; hearing the commotion, they immediately fetched water to help. Together, they managed to contain the raging fire, which was eventually extinguished.

As dawn broke, only thick smoke remained at the site of the arson.

The barbarian night raid failed, but the Daqian warriors present showed little joy.

The front lines are in dire need of help.

Although they wouldn't easily believe the barbarians' boastful claim that they were about to conquer the area, they knew best that the defenses at Yuhuopan were not yet complete, and some unexpected situations were bound to occur.

With sheer numbers, a breakthrough is indeed possible.

Once the city falls, it means that a key point for entering the blessed plains of the south has been destroyed, resulting in significant losses.

It won't cause any serious damage, but it's embarrassing.

"The border troops are currently under Zhang Zhongsi's command. With his skills, he excels at defending cities. High Priest, I don't think the situation is serious enough to lead to the fall of the city."

"Yes."

Feng Tianyin remained calm and composed, because she had not received any relevant notifications.

If the city had truly fallen and been captured, there would definitely be a corresponding update; currently, everything is safe and sound. However, we can only rule out the worst-case scenario. A slightly better, second-worst situation is that urban warfare has already begun, with looting and fighting underway.

In the era of cold weapons, the struggle over every brick and tile was equally brutal.

Even elite border troops would suffer huge losses.

The Daqian leadership had no doubt that their sheer size advantage would secure victory, but each of them was a subject of the Heavenly Dao and the High Priest, so how could they be sacrificed so easily?

We must take action.

"Your Majesty, I suggest that we send reinforcements to Yuhuopan as soon as possible, while we can avoid some of the barbarian spies before dawn."

"The general is right. I think we should press on with our momentum."

Feng Tianyin immediately agreed to these requests: "We'll set off right away—"

Her response was met with a resounding "Yes, sir!" that echoed through the sky. Although there had been a battle the night before, everyone had rested well the afternoon before, and to be honest, dealing with these bastards hadn't taken much effort.

Simultaneously.

Another contingent of imperial guards arrived from Cuiwei City to join them.

Of course, not all troops were mobilized to deal with the night raid. Comrades who remained in the city and other village camps were also assembled, totaling 5000 troops, plus a number of auxiliary troops who followed up and were recruited... enough for a large-scale war.

They arrived upon hearing the news, gathered together, and formed a battle formation around Feng Tianyin, ready to attack.

"Set off, on a forced march."

As soon as he finished speaking, ten thousand horses galloped south at top speed.

Villagers from neighboring villages, having received firefighting aid, intended to send some fruits and vegetables, but only saw a plume of smoke rushing away. Flags fluttered in the wind, the earth roared, and the dawn's light pierced the sky alongside them.

Go forward.

In the past few days, they have witnessed several support teams passing by. Needless to say, the overwhelming weight of their presence reflects the determination of the Great Qian Dynasty to win.

The fate of that city is intertwined with theirs; now they can only do their best and leave the rest to fate.

May Heaven protect us, and may we overcome this difficult time together.

--------

In fact, Xia He was indeed watching this battle at this moment, because it involved a scale comparable to two grassland expeditions.

There is even a trend of further expansion.

On paper, the number of troops in the major strategic battles fought by the Great Qian Dynasty under Feng Tianyin's command was not particularly impressive, but they were all elite soldiers who went to war with the blood and bones of the great nation, making them extremely valuable.

That's why she insisted on going with them; she wouldn't feel at ease if they didn't, so she decided to go together.

The soldiers who followed him were all from good families. They had land, so they were happy to work; they had families, so they were brave; they were well-educated, so they were disciplined. They were truly admirable.

They are the foundation of our fighting power.

Xia He looked around and saw that buffs such as "Soaring Morale," "War of Heretics," and "Army Experience" were all lit up.

That's right.

The favorable environment of the Great Qian Dynasty made it easier to cultivate a regular army. From ancient times to the present, good families have always been excellent soldiers, and the Imperial Guards are the best of the best veterans with considerable combat power, belonging to the first-class forces on par with the border army.

In contrast, the various vassal armies of the grasslands were like the floor of the Great Qian Dynasty.

They're not even as good as the stationed troops.

They should go and compete with the auxiliary troops in the mainland, although they are not considered part of the army in the military theory of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Feng Tianyin dislikes the exaggerated numbers like "claiming to be 100,000" and the pure inflation of combat power.

She believed that having competent elite troops in command was sufficient.

Xia He's perspective was from the rear. After learning about the situation at the front, even though the tribes of the northern desert were all excited and ready to "rush to the aid of Daqian", "protect the capital", and "guard the land blessed by the heavens", they were sharpening their knives.

If it weren't for the priests stationed there stopping them, they probably would have marched all the way across the Great Qian territory to fight.

[War Support +18%]

Provoked by the conflict and fueled by its long-standing warlike tendencies, the Great Qian Dynasty experienced a surge in support. People from all over the country voluntarily enlisted, displaying immense enthusiasm and a thirst for military glory.

After all, Xia He had also promoted this trend two years ago.

"This battle will not end with a counterattack; given their current expansionist tendencies, they will not give up."

"Let's just take the Great Plains in one fell swoop."

Xia He's sharp gaze swept across the rivers, lakes, and seas. This vast black soil was waiting to be developed, enough to sustain it for a thousand years, and it would only become stronger in the industrial age.

With the current population of 200 million, the Great Qian Dynasty is certainly not capable of taking it over, so the strategy for occupation is another one:

Seize the opportunity.

Once the strategic key points are grasped, the surrounding areas will naturally gravitate towards them.

For example, Yuhuopan connects the Cifu Basin behind Cuiwei and suppresses the northern plains with its upper reaches of the river, making it an absolute strategic stronghold. The central stronghold lies in the city-state of Nanyuan, which, as its name suggests, is situated on a plateau, or rather, a "flat-topped mountain," with a strategically important and easily defensible location. It, along with the surrounding city-states, defends against external enemies.

"If the process of civilization is allowed to continue, it might eventually lead to the formation of a political power and the birth of a new country."

The southern states of Qingzhou and Minyue followed a similar trajectory, evolving from city-states to nations.

But it's not allowed.

Xia He's plans for the early Classical period also involved seizing territory, and she couldn't refuse the vast Blessed Plains of the South, a fertile land even more so than the Great Plains of North America.

Therefore, she cannot allow herself to lose, and now Feng Tianyin is already on the offensive.

"It will take some time... Let me check on the front lines first."

The girl, who was walking, slightly raised her head, her purple eyes fixed on a wisp of psychic energy in the endless distance, heading south.

It is estimated that it will arrive in an instant.

She was also observing.

We must seize this opportunity and ensure our expansion.

Xia He's gaze fell upon the fishing lights by the riverbank.

The city's detailed information is not available because, strictly speaking, it has not yet been completed and is not fully incorporated into the Daqian territory.

Since no blessing ceremony was performed according to legal tradition, it does not count.

But the flames of war were visible to the naked eye, and could be clearly seen from the sky. The city walls, which were under construction and even had scaffolding erected, were besieged, and hordes of barbarians rushed up to fight.

The city is not broken!

Despite the turmoil, it held firm; though on the verge of collapse, it stood tall, leaving countless corpses and bloodied corpses at the foot of the city walls.

She couldn't help but be surprised, after all, the enemy's total number was probably 20,000, almost 10 times that of the defenders.

This multiplier is quite dangerous.

Driven by curiosity, Xia He further broadened her perspective:

General Zhang Zhongsi stood atop the city wall, personally overseeing and directing the attack. His command flags waved, and his shouts were full of vigor. Soldiers around him took cover on the battlements, continuously firing arrows, while the barbicans on both sides provided flank cover, all attacking the enemy at the foot of the city wall.

Faced with the rain of arrows, the barbarians raised their shields, but the sheer number of shields attracted boulders.

boom!

Under the force of gravity, a boulder crashed down, smashing people to pieces. It even rolled a short distance away, crushing several unfortunate people and causing them to bleed.

"My leg is broken! It hurts so much!"

"Move it down quickly, don't get in the way, it's dangerous here. Build me a ladder."

One by one, siege ladders approached the city wall. Moreover, in the distance, simple siege towers were being advanced by dozens of people. Building them was no easy task; it required the cooperation of a large number of skilled craftsmen.

No wonder.

Xia He could tell at a glance that there was support behind them, otherwise the barbarians would not have the siege equipment they needed.

There must have been city-state support mixed in.

"...but this thing won't become widespread until the middle of the classical era."

As a player, I immediately realized that the technology behind it was not simple. Obviously, the South was not much inferior in terms of productivity, technology level and population. Being able to provide such support at least means that they did not lack it.

Few people would "sell their heads for aid" like Louis XVI.

Of course, it's unrealistic to move the siege tower from the south; it must have been specially built by the accompanying craftsmen and is now being used to test the unfinished Fishing Fire Bank.

"Stop it!"

Zhang Zhongsi recognized this siege weapon; after all, the Great Qian Dynasty had also mastered this technology and was well aware of its threat.

They fired their ignited arrows and flew away.